Lazar looking for that first goal in Edmonton

EDMONTON In his rookie season in the NHL, it’s all about firsts for Curtis Lazar.

The journey now takes him on his first visit as an Ottawa Senator to the Alberta capital, his previous hockey home where he was a key player in the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings’ Memorial Cup championship last spring.

“I’m excited,” he told reporters on an off-day for the Senators who are in the middle of a tough Western Canadian road trip. The team plays the Oilers Thursday night at Rexall Place.

“I owe a lot to Edmonton and the city.”

While it was more about his own family when the team arrived in Vancouver this week to play the Canucks, “in Edmonton, it’s more about friends I’ve really got to know over the past three years.”

So on Wednesday, Lazar was going to be an Oil King for a day again.

“I’m going to the rink. I’ll probably watch the guys practise, and hop in with my old billet brother and go back to his house and get a nice home-cooked meal … hang out and spend time.

“I owe so much to the billets I’ve had. I had one in midget and two in junior and I guess I have one now, if you think about it, with Philly (Senators defenceman Chris Phillips).”

Lazar is hoping as well that his example can help motivate his former teammates who are just coming off a tough road trip themselves.

“I’m playing in the NHL, I hardly can believe it. It’s proof that it’s possible.”

Lazar has 13 NHL games under his belt. He’s notched his first assist, taken his first penalty, been in his first Battle of Ontario.

“Now I’m feeling comfortable. There have been hiccups, but that’s to be expected, I’m 19 years old. But I am really happy about the way I’ve responded and with the way that coach MacLean has been using me.”

And then he mentions the “first” he wants more than any other right now.

“I’ve got an opportunity to get my first goal in a rink where I have scored quite few goals before. I’m very comfortable in the building. I love the ice in Rexall.”

“Last night (against Vancouver), I missed one backhand. The puck rolled at the last second. You’ve got to laugh those off. I’m getting more chances and now I want to shoot the puck. The average is about six or seven shots per goal, so I want to keep shooting the puck and bang in a greasy one.”

Lazar is part of the so-called Senators’ Kid Line, along with Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone. The line is becoming a key piece of the puzzle for the Senators.

“Last night, was a prime example of us wanting to take it upon ourselves to get back into that game,” Lazar said. “They got that goal … coach told us he wanted an energy shift and we were able to put the puck in the net.”

“You saw last night just how smart Stoney is and Hoff’s speed. People have to respect us out there.”

“I always try to be on the defensive side of the puck,” Lazar says. That allows him to get in a good position to shoot the puck or make a play.

Hoffman’s goal against Vancouver was a classic example. Lazar shot the puck with the intention of generating a rebound and it worked like a charm.

Against the Oilers, the young man expects a high-tempo game.

“I feel it will be a lot of back-and-forth hockey. We want to play defensively sound, box them out and then go after them, make their defence turn and get traffic in front of whichever goalie will be playing.”

Phillips, who has been showing some youthful legs to start the season himself, remembers the help older players gave him during his rookie season.

“The Yorks (Jason York) lived just down the street, Lance Pitlick and his wife, the Van Allens (Shaun Van Allen), they all really helped us out.”

Phillips says he has been trying to pass that onto Lazar, who is living at his home.

“We haven’t sat down and had THAT talk yet. But (seriously), I think it’s more about having him feel comfortable and adapting to the schedule and what to do in situations. How to handle himself.

“If I can be that role model, that’s more my style.”

On the ice, the Kid Line has been “fun to watch. They play with a lot of energy and they are producing right now, too.”

Phillips knows that Lazar would definitely like to get that first goal out of the way. “I think the big thing is he’s making things happen. He’s creating chances. It’s just a matter of time before it comes.”

For Phillips, the biggest difference with this year’s team is that the Sens “are finding ways to get points (even though) some nights haven’t been pretty.”

And youth does have a way of reinvigorating a team. “We’ve been pretty young for a couple of years. They play with a lot of energy and that becomes infectious.

“I think it’s a better team than last year.”

This stop in Edmonton is also a homecoming for Phillips. He’s got friends in the area coming to the game and he’s looking forward to a visit with his mother.

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